Power operated examination tables are well known in the art for positioning a patient in a variety of examination and treatment positions such as, for example, the Trendelenburg position, reverse Trendelenburg position, urological examination position, proctological examination position, chair position and horizontal table position. The examination tables have power-driven actuators connected to patient support sections of the table, such as a seat section, back section and leg and foot support section, so that the sections can be moved to desired positions to place the patient in the necessary work position for the examination or treatment procedure. Following the procedure, the examination table is returned to a patient entry/exit chair position which enables a patient to comfortably exit the examination table and the table is now properly positioned to receive the next patient.
Typically, power-driven examination tables include a foot control which allows a doctor, nurse or attendant to control power-driven functions of the table to position the table in a variety of positions. Ordinarily, the foot control has a number of pedals which may be depressed or rocked by foot action to energize the actuators for moving the table into the desired position. The use of a foot control is advantageous in that it allows the table to be positioned while maintaining a sterile field, and the desired table position can be set or adjusted without requiring shifting of the doctor's hands or eyes away from the area of examination or treatment.
Foot controls which incorporate separate pedals for controlling the power-driven functions of the examination table are susceptible, in use, to certain problems. Typically, such foot controls require a doctor to actuate different pedals which are spaced from each other so that the doctor's foot must be lifted, shifted and then placed upon the various pedals to actuate the various power-driven functions of the table. During a treatment or examination procedure, the doctor may lose orientation of the doctor's foot in relation to the pedals as the doctor moves around so that the doctor may accidently depress the wrong pedal for the intended movement of the examination table.
Also, manufacturers of examination tables typically supply various models of tables with each model offering different power-driven functions for positioning of the table. Additionally, customers may purchase different options for the same model of examination table so that the same model of table may be configured by the supplier with different power-driven function capabilities. In the past, examination table suppliers have been required to design and manufacture different configurations of foot controls for the various power-driven functions offered with the examination tables. This increases the engineering development and manufacturing costs for the examination table supplier.
Therefore, there is a need for a foot control which minimizes the risk for accidental actuation by a doctor, nurse or attendant of an unintended power-driven function of a medical apparatus. There is also a need for a foot control which is readily adaptable to various configurations of a medical apparatus having different power-driven function capabilities.